The new season “Dawn of the Hunt” of Path of Exile 2 has caused a lot of frustration among players. Even the big YouTuber Penguinz0 is disappointed and rants for minutes about the ARPG in a new video. Now the developers are also speaking out.
Who is it about? YouTuber Penguinz0 is one of the biggest gaming YouTubers ever. Currently, 16.7 million fans follow him on the platform. His videos cover various topics, mostly trending ones, that are currently relevant. The content creator has also played Path of Exile 2 for about 250 hours.
However, in a new video, the creator explains how frustrated he is with the new season “Dawn of the Hunt” and strongly criticizes Path of Exile 2 in the process.
Here you can see the trailer for the new season of Path of Exile 2:
Strong criticism of the new season
What does the YouTuber criticize? YouTuber Penguinz0 criticizes the new season in his video for minutes. An important point is the tedious, frustrating leveling. It is “not hard, just incredibly tedious.” Even normal enemies take so much time that the flow of the game is disrupted.
“It’s so boring, I can’t even say it’s challenging. It just feels bad,” says Penguinz0 about the leveling in the game. The bosses are no better: “You have to get up during the fight, or you will die of thrombosis. It takes that long,” he jokes about the tediousness of the boss fights.
According to him, the massive nerfs are to blame, which have made character builds ineffective. Despite his glass-cannon build focused on minions, his character is barely equipped even against simple enemies: “It feels like my minions are healing the enemies.”
The YouTuber also comments on the developers. Their intention was to make Path of Exile 2 “slower and more meaningful,” as Penguinz0 explains. According to him, they have failed in this endeavor: “This is not slow and meaningful. It’s slow, tedious, and meaningless – except when it comes to suffering.”
What is his conclusion? For Penguinz0, “Dawn of the Hunt” has become a major disappointment, clouding his previous enthusiasm for the ARPG. The update is a step back, not forward, and the only thing he is still looking forward to is the endgame and the changes there: “I’m really looking forward to the endgame – that’s where the changes are supposed to shine. But so far, leveling has been an absolute disaster.”
Here you can see the video of his conclusion:
The developers step in
How do the developers respond to the criticism? The YouTuber’s criticism is shared by large parts of the community. Already on the release weekend of the season, the ratings of the game on Steam dropped and there were many complaints on Reddit. Even the now 10 patches that the developers have provided to improve the situation have not convinced the players.
The developers are now speaking out in a long statement and explaining the changes they have made or will follow since the release of “Dawn of the Hunt” (via PathofExile.com).
- The slow game pace is to be improved by a nerf of monsters, as monsters lost between 25% and 60% of their hit points.
- The new Huntress class receives a new ability that allows her to gain Frenzy Charges even without parrying, so the class no longer has to be played in melee combat. The spear throws have also been accelerated.
- The too weak minions that had also caught Penguinz0’s attention have been buffed and now have more damage and health at the start of the game, but they remain nerfed in the endgame.
- In the endgame, many areas felt too big and empty since the new season. The developers have added more checkpoints and are investigating the problem. There are also further improvements in the areas of technology and quality of life.
The developers address some of the YouTuber’s criticisms, but things like the tedious boss fights and the sluggish campaign, which will only benefit from the weakening of standard enemies, remain unaddressed. Even Elon Musk found the new season too difficult. He died in the tutorial: Supergamer Elon Musk tries to play Path of Exile 2 by himself for once, dies in the tutorial.
